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Ortusian noble houses
The continent of Ortus is largely controlled by a series of prominent families. There exist intense rivalries between these houses for influence and power. In fact powerful states typically form as a union of these houses, such as the Sonmel line with Eradina and the Havhal line with Norra, pooling the power of the branches under one ruler. Eradina House Sonmel House of Sonmel is the largest and most powerful house on the continent. Indeed Eradina formed as a union of the Sonmel crowns. It is so large that it even its branches could be considered immensely powerful in their own right. Powerful branches include the Eternal House of Dunset '''(royal line of East Eradina), the '''Golden Line of Estrion (royal line of Low Eradina), House Hanstoss (prominent family throughout the Stendem Chain), and House Orier '''(royal line of High Eradina, considered the primary branch of Sonmel). A lesser branch is '''House of Freden, a cadet branch of the Eternal House of Dunset from which the viceroy of Mealla is born. House Riesmann was once greatest of the branches, ruling fully over the Empire of Weigeld-Lovas, however now that Weigeld is part of Old Eradina their authority is greatly diminished. Nonetheless they are among the wealthiest families, and command the Duchy of Wiegeld under the authority of the Archking and Grand Prince of Old Eradina. Their key location gives them some measure of power of the royal court. House Grimm House Grimm is one of the oldest noble families in Ortus, deriving from an Old Eradine tribe. It allied itself early with House Sonmel and so gains privileged status in Eradina, as well as titles usually limited to branches of House Sonmel. House Grimm shares control over Old Eradina, with Grand Prince of Old Eradina coming from House Grimm and the Magnate of Falhalt coming from House Sonmel. House Sidgard House Sidgard controls the Kettland region of Old Eradina. It is unusual, in that it is a branch of House Havhal that remains in power in Eradina despite the vicious rivalry between houses Havhal and Sonmel. House Sidgard bowed to Eradine authority in return for lordship over their old kingdom. However they are still styled as the Royalty of the Mountain Lands rather than as regional lords. House Nocheda House Nocheda is a Low Eradine house directed by the Golden Line of Estrion (a branch of the Sonmel dynasty). They began as rulers of Verania's criminal underworld, eventually expanding their network of informants to all of the Kingdom of Dierado. Their wealth and influence, brought by control of the black market, prostitution, illegal narcotic trade, and the sale of information, caught the attention of the Estrion princes of Dierado. A deal was made, legitimising the criminal dynasty as a recognised noble family, in return for access to the Nocheda's information network. The Nocheda's were allowed continue their illegal enterprises, but had to provide information on the Estrions' enemies and occasionally contract assassinations of them. The house rose to become one of the most important in Low Eradina, given a palace on Isla Diorma (an island in Verania bay) alongside four other palaces including the Estrion's royal residence. Their spy network is said to reach as far west as Sunghala. The current head is Verdeth Nocheda. Fallen Houses House Malach House Malach was the most powerful family on the island of Mealla, and frequently held the title of High King of Mealla. When Mealla fell under the control of the Remonde Empire, the native peoples were suppressed. The Rising of the Malach saw the house establish a new kingdom in their name, leading to internal turmoil within the Remonde Empire circa 718 FE. Brimwall and Eradina destroyed this new kingdom by 900 FE, and now the house lives in exile in Ardair. House Derois House Derois led the Remonde Empire before its collapse. When Remonde split into the kingdoms of Verrix, Brimwall and the Nordlaw, the Derois remained in control of Verrix alone. The destruction of Verrix by the Celais Ensemble with Brimwic support saw the end of the house's influence. Pretenders to the Remonde throne claim descent from the Derois, and through this seek lordship of East Eradina and the Verrix region. The current pretender, Régin Derois, lives under the Archking's custody in Sannia. Norra House Havhal The Havhal are the dominant house in Norra. The king of Norra comes from the main Havhal line, descending from the monarchy of Rikemark. Norra's union began in reaction to Eradine union, uniting the Havhal-rued Rikemark and Sakra. They are not quite so large as the Sonmel and so maintain fewer branches, and the only significant branch other than the main royal line, is the Stevarg, a mixed Handar-Gargic line from which the kings of Carnrí are chosen. They bitterly resent House Sonmel, and as a result Norra and Eradina see each other as enemies and frequently go to war. House Gamkall The Gamkall were the most powerful clan of the Kuldal, and so were often considered the chiefs of all the Kuldal. Indeed during the times when Kuldal was a united entity, the Gamkall did rule over them. When the Kuldal chief fled to Roidd and established the Kingdom of the Halfway Isles, he established a stable dynasty of kings over the islands in the process. His nephew led the remainder of the crumbling Kuldal, and his line became known as the Jarnbar. The Jarnbar to this day have a ceremonial role as lords of the Kuldal province. Ardair Ardairian nobility are notable for inheriting titles through vote rather than direct inheritance. There exist thousands of clans and kingdoms, each ruled by a distinct family. However there do exist several families of significant power that usually come to inherit many prominent positions. The leader of all clans take 'the Name' as title (e.g. Fiatha the Tiarós), and other members take 'as Name' (e.g. Fiatha as Tiarós) as surname. House Dairian House Dairian has been the source of all the High Kings since the foundation of Ardair. The Dairian has always been a powerful lord, with lands traditionally on the border between Dealga and Társa. Indeed the nation of Ardair derives its name from the Dairian first High King, Adhran as Dairian. The house was always a key figure in any conflicts that occurred in the region. House Saidris House Saidris is one of the oldest houses in existence. It has consistently ruled over Dealga for over a millennium. The people of Dealga are very loyal to their kings, who take the title 'thal Saidris' rather than 'the Saidris' (as in Blárin thal Saidris). 'Thal' is an archaic version of the title. The house maintains good relations internationally. Many female members of the house, named Daughters of the Rose, have been married to nobles all across the continent. Mernove As part of the Beygir Empire, much of Mernove falls outside of Ortus. However the nobility are distinctly Ortusian in structure and culture, and most of the population lives within the fertile eastern region that falls within Ortus. House Vedmid House Vedmid is the imperial line of Mernove. They are descendants of the Grodev lords of the Duchy of Mekhem. When Mekhem merged with Valdesto, the Vedmid were prominent lords under the Grodev monarchy. They held the title Lord Marshal of the West, and were responsible for the western conquests of the empire and controlled the biggest part of the Mernovan army. Most importantly, the Bezol cavalry of the west were loyal directly to them, and not to the Balkha. When Balkha Krovoy Grodev married lady Belora Vedmid, it was seen as a great honour to house Vedmid. However later lady Belora was found guilty of infidelity, and executed. Outraged at her death and the smear on the Vedmid family, lord Volsov Vedmid mustered his armies and declared war on Krovoy and House Grodev as a whole. The ensuing war raged for ten years, until the Vedmid family claimed victory and lord Volsov was installed as the new Balkha. The current Balkheva of Mernove is Sedina Vedmid. House Sontina House Sontina was the ruling house of Valdesto before the union, however has ceded all royal authority to their Vedmid overlords. They remain as regional nobility, but more importantly as the bloodline of the Princeps of Belkor. The Vedmids rule over temporal matters, and the Sontinas over religious matters. Sentar Sentar does not have regional lords, on account of the lack of regions to rule. Instead incredibly wealthy families gain Principal recognition and become 'noble'. The richest of these families is the dor'Velare family, a banking and trading dynasty that maintains huge influence across South Eradina and Sentar. Lovas Lovas has always had a large noble population, but no house in particular dominates the others at a national level. Locally some families hold more sway than others, but nonetheless power is relatively evenly distributed among the thousands of noble families. A major exception to this rule is the Vérura warlords, from the north near the border with Zapevina. The Vérura have traditionally commanded the greatest armies due to its location as a frequent site for wars between their neighbours. When instability shakes the rest of Lovas, the Vérura ride from the north and seize control. After the collapse of the Empire of Weigeld-Lovas, Lovas shed its Sonmel influence and the Vérura line were installed as monarchs of all of Lovas. Bahar Though falling outside of typical boundaries of Ortus, Bahar's nobility has been intricately linked to the eastern cultural sphere. Bahar began as a pirate state, a place of cooperation for all pirates of the Rosorro Sea. They placed themselves under the leadership of the Madar family, descendants of the sea's most feared pirate, Dempur Madar. In exchange for protection, the pirate lords paid tribute to their kings of the Madar family, who used the funds to develop the city of Servata and infrastructure throughout the islands to exploit their natural resources. Under their rule, Bahar became a united political entity and grew massively in wealth and influence. Salt mines on the main island's rocky interior were exploited for the first time thanks to the construction of new roads and ports allowing access. Eventually with both loyal and experienced seafaring men under their command, as well as sufficient funds to build the navy they needed, Bahar established the colony of Nakhadar on what is now Eradina.